Not as weird as I thought
by EliBeth
Summary: The finding of a letter prompts 20 year old Elizabeth Solano to reply


Disclaimer: I own nothing. I just borrow for awhile and bring back unharmed.  
  
Today is the day. The day I move out from under my parents' rule; the day I finally move into my own home. Most of my stuff is already there and put away, but there are a few more things that I need to finalize. I can't wait to finally get out of here. I've always been different. Things happen around me that I can't explain; my parents can't explain it either, or won't. I double-check every nook and cranny for anything of mine that I may have missed. I wouldn't want to have to come back to get anything.  
  
Let's backtrack a moment. You may be wondering who I am. My name is Elizabeth Solano. I'm twenty years old, and I've just finished my college education. I majored in elementary education. What's weird about that, you may wonder. Things have happened to me in school that I couldn't believe. One time, I was giving a demonstration with eggs and buoyancy, when the egg I was holding slipped out of my hands. This in itself is not strange, but what happened afterward was. The egg hovered in mid air! Nothing was holding it up. I looked out at my classmates and they were just staring at me, wide eyed. That's not even the weirdest part. I closed my eyes and hoped that they would not think I was a freak of nature, and then I continued with my presentation. After class, about ten of them came up to me and congratulated me on my spectacular catch. They thought I caught the egg. At the time, I blew it off because I didn't understand it.  
  
Let's get back to moving day. I have just finished looking through my mother's old photographs of my brothers and me when I come across a faded envelope. It doesn't look like an ordinary envelope; the paper is too thick and too yellow. I turn it over and see it was addressed to me. I pull out the first page of whatever is inside. It was the main part of the letter.  
  
Dear Miss Solano,  
  
You have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and  
Wizardry. Enclosed, you will find a list of supplies as well as  
instructions on how to get to the Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, and  
onto the Hogwarts Express. We await your owl. Please reply before  
August 1, 1986.  
  
Professor Minerva McGonnagal  
Deputy Headmistress  
  
To say I'm surprised is an understatement. If this is true, then I've found out why I have never fit in anywhere. I look at the other two pages; one, as it says, is a list of the supplies I'll need for school. The other is a set of directions for reaching this "Leaky Cauldron" place. I look back at the first page again, and panic begins to set in. I'm nine years too late. I was supposed to go when I was eleven, not twenty and fresh out of college. I sit down in despair, thinking that I've lost my chance at a different life. Then I realize that I have everything I need to get to Diagon Alley. I gather what remains of my belongings, take one last look around my parents' house, and walk out the front door, letter in hand, not once looking back.  
  
After a journey that takes nearly half the day, I'm standing outside of what looks like a condemned building, but there is a sign that says, clear as crystal, "The Leaky Cauldron." I slowly push open the door and walk inside. The atmosphere is just what I would expect from a pub; the bartender looks my way and introduces himself as Tom. I tell him that I am trying to find Diagon Alley, which causes the patrons of the pub to turn and stare at me. Quickly and quietly, Tom leads me outside to a dead end wall. I look at him questioningly. He smiles down at me and taps a sequence of bricks out on the wall. I stand in amazement as the wall seemingly melts in front of me. I turn to Tom and ask where I can get an owl. He points me in the direction of Eyelops' Owl Emporium, which I walk to very quickly.  
  
Once inside, I search out the owner. I ask him if I can borrow an owl to reply to a letter. He tells me that, although not standard practice, he would allow me to borrow his personal owl this once. I pull the main letter back out of the envelope and think about how to form my reply.  
  
Professor McGonnagal, (I write)  
  
My name is Elizabeth Solano, and I'm replying to the acceptance letter  
you sent me in 1986. I know it's a bit late, but I haven't seen the  
letter before today. I'm not sure what to do, but I am at Eyelops' Owl  
Emporium in Diagon Alley. Please let me know what I need to do.  
  
Elizabeth Solano  
  
Finally satisfied, I ask the shopkeeper how I'm supposed to send the letter. He helps me tie it to the owl's leg and asks who it's for. "Professor McGonnagal at Hogwarts." I reply. At once, the owl flew off toward what I would assume to be the school. For the next hour, I simply wander around the store, admiring all of the beautiful owls. White snowy owls, speckled eagle owls, and many other colors and varieties were all around the store. I loved them all, but the one that caught my eye was a huge brown barn owl. I walk over to it, hesitant, hoping that it won't hurt me. Suddenly, I feel a presence behind me. I turn around and see a stern looking woman with her hair wrapped up in an austere bun. "I assume that you are Elizabeth Solano," she says. "I am," I reply. "And may I assume that you are Professor McGonnagal?"  
  
"You may. I am wondering why you have replied ten years late and for the second time."  
  
"Second time? I have never seen that letter before today."  
  
"Your parents must have sent the negative reply ten years ago without telling you about it. Elizabeth, you are a witch, though untrained. We normally do not allow people to start at Hogwarts after they turn eleven, but we very rarely receive negative replies. Here is a map with all of the important locations marked on it. I will take you to Gringotts, the wizarding bank, and get you set up with our equivalent of a credit card. Tomorrow, you will need to transfer all of your muggle money to an account in Gringotts. If you ever need to go back into muggle London after the transfer, you can always change wizarding money back into muggle money."  
  
"Thank you, Professor. When is the start of term? And how am I supposed to get onto platform 9 ¾?"  
  
"Term begins on September 1, and to get onto the platform, you walk straight at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Don't be nervous or you won't get through. Have a good day, Elizabeth."  
  
"You too, Professor, and thanks again."  
  
_Where should I go first?_ I think to myself. I decide that the first thing I should do is get a trunk, so I have somewhere to put everything else I need to buy. I decide to get a trunk that has several different rooms so I can have a place to store my stuff from home while I'm at school. I don't think I want to get an apartment when I would only be living there for two months out of the year anyway.  
  
After buying my trunk, I head toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Madam Malkin looks at me funny and asks if she can help me. I reply that I need the standard school robes for Hogwarts and some robes for general wear. She and I get to talking, and I tell her that, even though I'm twenty, I'll be starting Hogwarts this year and that there was a misunderstanding nine years ago with my letter. Once I was finished with the fitting, I paid for the clothes and went to the next store on the list, the apothecary. There wasn't much to this place, but I went ahead and bought everything I would need for potions this year, including my cauldron, scales, and phials. (A/N: not sure if you can buy cauldrons and such at the apothecary, but I'm going to think they can)  
  
After visiting the general wizarding shop for my telescope for astronomy and other general do-dads I would need, I decided that this would be a good time to buy my books. I walked right over to Flourish and Blotts and began looking for the books I would need for this year. After finding them, I decided to look for some books for background reading; after all, I knew nothing about this world that I had been so haphazardly thrown into.  
  
My final stop for the day, or so I thought, was Ollivander's Wands. I figured that I would look at the wands and choose the one I liked best. Boy, was I ever wrong? Mr. Ollivander, who I personally thought was creepy, emerged from behind some boxes and looked at me quizzically. "Miss Solano," he said. "I had hoped to see you nine years ago. Let's see if we can't find a wand for you." Then, he brought out a wand and said, "This particular wand is made from ash with a dragon heartstring core, seven inches. Try it out." I took the wand carefully, but before I could do anything with it, Ollivander snatched it out of my hand. "Let's try another one," he said. "Maple and phoenix feather, seven-and-a-half inches." Once again, I took the wand, and once again, it was taken away before I could point it at anything. "Here's another wand, redwood and phoenix feather, eight-and- three-quarter inches." When I took this wand, I knew it was the one. A comforting heat spread through my right arm, and when I waved it, green and gold sparkles flew through the air. "Very good, Miss Solano. I was wondering who would be matched to that wand. You see, when I made this wand, I knew it was destined for a powerful witch or wizard. This wand is on the house, Elizabeth."  
  
I walked out of the wand shop feeling numb. I was a powerful witch. I didn't even know I was a witch until today. With my purchases in hand, I made my to Eyelops'. I had temporarily forgotten about that beautiful barn owl. When I walked over to him, he automatically perched on my shoulder. Not knowing what else to do, I worked my way back to the counter to pay for him and his supplies.  
  
When business was done, I headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. I booked a room until September 1, when I would head to Hogwarts as a twenty-year-old first year.  
  
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review 


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